The Story of Lee
by tjsmklvr
Summary: Story is set during 'Bad Timing' - from Lee's POV. A special thank you to my beta Anne, for catching my errors and providing great suggestions to elevate the story. Also, a big 'shout out' to Sheila, for pushing me to delve deeper into the story. Credit to Robert W. Gilmer for his dialogue and to Brandi Carlile for her song "The Story," both of which are included in this story.
**"The Story of Lee"**

By Taya Johnston (Tjsmklvr)

Written Between: 10/4/15 - 3/24/16

This story is based during 'Bad Timing.' After listening to Brandi Carlile's song 'The Story," Lee came to mind. I think the song perfectly explains who he was at this time in the series. A special thank you to my beta Anne, for catching my errors and providing great suggestions to elevate the story. Also, a big 'shout out' to Sheila, for pushing me to delve deeper into the story. Credit to Robert W. Gilmer for his dialogue in S4: E15 – 'Bad Timing' and to Brandi Carlile for her song "The Story," both of which are included in this story.

 _All of these lines across my face  
Tell you the story of who I am  
So many stories of where I've been  
And how I got to where I am  
_

As Lee walked home from the restaurant, he thought about how much he enjoyed sharing the stories of his past escapades with his fiancé. Sure, she wasn't buying half of what he told her, but that didn't stop him from exaggerating the truth just a bit. He laughed at her reaction to his story about Dave Sacks and their fruitful trade of his nudie magazine. That story he actually hadn't exaggerated. They really were saved by a collection of photos of naked women. He didn't blame her for being skeptical. Some of his stories were a little farfetched. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when he told her about the time he had talked his way out of being court marshaled as a teenager for impersonating an officer to get a date with the general's daughter.

Shaking his head, he marveled at the idea of sharing so much of himself with anyone. If someone had told him two years ago that he'd be as exposed as he'd been earlier this evening with the housewife he picked out of a crowded train station, he'd have called them crazy. But when he looked into those deep, darkeyes and saw the unconditional love shining back at him, he knew he could do nothing less but open himself completely to her. She deserved to know the things he had shared . . . and even more. And he planned on doing just that.

Lost in his daydreams, he had no time to react when three men jumped out from the bushes and grabbed him. He was on the ground trying to fight them off when he heard the blaring sound of a car horn. Luckily for him, the noise frightened the goons off.

 _But these stories don't mean anything  
When you've got no one to tell them to  
It's true... I was made for you_

"Thanks for the ride, Amanda." Before he could grab the door handle, he heard her shut off the engine and unbuckle herself from her seat. He sighed when she hurried out of the vehicle and around to help him. "A-man-da! I am **fine!** You do not need to walk me up!"

"I **am** going to walk you up and **you're** not going to say another word about it, Stetson! You're lucky I'm not taking you to the hospital." She grabbed his elbow and guided him through the door of his apartment building.

"Good evening, Mr. Stetson! Always a pleasure to see you, Mrs. King!" The doorman greeted them with a nod.

"Hello, Charlie!" Amanda returned cheerfully, as she pressed the elevator call button.

Lee simply nodded to the man, but wondered how it was that his fiancé was on a first name basis with his doorman and he wasn't. He shook his head and smiled. That was his Amanda.

He was pulled from his ministrations when the elevator announced its arrival and she nudged him in and pressed the button to his floor. Lee could feel her staring at him and turned his gaze to her. "Amanda, I promise you. I feel fine. Nothing but a bruised ego." He gave her his best-dimpled smile to reassure her, but she wasn't buying any of it. Lee chuckled to himself. While it was true he hadn't had a mother since the age of five, when Amanda was in 'mom mode,' he got a sense for what he had missed all these years.

He followed her out of the elevator and to his front door. She held out her hand expectantly. **"** Your keys?" Lee sighed, but handed them over without a word and followed her into his apartment.

"Sweetheart, please just humor me and take off your shoes and then lay down on the couch. I want to check you out." She fluffed the pillows and he did as he was told.

"You want to check me out, huh? My pleasure." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she pushed lightly on his chest until the back of his legs stumbled into the soft cushions. He fell back onto the couch and he let out a small, "Oof!"

"Uh-huh, serves you right, Mister! Now rest while I get you something to drink."

"Great! I think there's some of that red wine we had the other night on the counter." He called out toward the kitchen.

A couple of minutes later he could see her carrying a tray along with his first aid kit wedged under her arm. 'So much for a romantic evening,' he thought regretfully.

"Here, drink this." He took the glass from her hand and was disappointed to see it wasn't wine, but instead ice water. Shaking out two aspirin from the bottle, she handed those to him as well. He could feel her watching him carefully to be sure he put them into his mouth. She then proceeded to undo the top few buttons of her blouse. He stared without blinking, wondering when she had developed this type of bedside manner. When she sauntered over to him and straddled his lap, he swallowed hard nearly choking on the aspirin he had been holding in his mouth. **-**

With a knowing smile and giggle, she stood up and re-buttoned her silk blouse. "The things I have to do to get you to take your medicine, Stetson!"

He couldn't help but be impressed with her tactics . . . and the glimpse of what he saw as she straddled his lap seconds before. He might be a little bruised and sore, but he wasn't dead. He swallowed involuntarily once again when the images of her tan, freckled skin and perfectly-round breasts flashed before him . . . well, it was exactly what dreams were made of.

 _I climbed across the mountain tops  
Swam all across the ocean blue  
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules  
But baby I broke them all for you  
_

Lee contemplated his current predicament as he stoked the roaring fire in front of him. What was he thinking when he'd agreed to come to Mrs. McMurty's? He felt like a caged animal waiting to be slaughtered. Amanda was pacing like one as well and **she** could come and go as she pleased. But then again, she really couldn't anymore than he could if the tables were turned. He'd do anything to keep her safe.

"Amanda, you saw the film ' _Lawrence of Arabia,_ ' didn't you?"

She walked past him and rubbed his arm lovingly. "Sure."

"Remember the scene where he puts his hand over the flame of a candle and he doesn't move, he doesn't even flinch?"

"Mmm-hmmm." She answered distractedly as she peered out the window covered with metal bars.

"Finally, someone asks him 'What is the secret? How do you keep it from hurting?' And Lawrence says, 'the secret is not to keep it from hurting, the secret's not to mind it.' I think that's the way this business is, Amanda." He glanced over his shoulder to her and continued. "I can't say I ever learned not to mind the pain, but I sure as hell learned to live with it." He paused, staring blankly. Then, almost to himself he whispered, "Because I could fight back; make a difference." How could this be happening now, just when he'd finally figured out what he wanted out of life?

Angrily, he threw the poker into the fireplace. "Amanda, I can't do it!" He pushed himself from the hearth and walked over to his fiancé. "They **might** find Doneck! McJohn **might** come up with an antidote!" He stood in front of her at the window and pulled her by the arms to emphasize his point. "I can't sit this one out. Do you hear me?"

She smiled knowingly and pushed her palms up his chest. "Well, I knew that before we even came here." Her eyes sparkled; the look of complete trust was evident to Lee.

Lee he let out a deep breath he did not realize he was holding when he comprehended that once again, she had his back. He grasped one of the bars over the window and looked back to her. He needed her to understand the gravity of the situation so she knew exactly what she was getting herself into. "I'm an Omega class prisoner. Any escape attempt from this place requires a shoot-to-kill response. A D-1 manhunt goes into effect **if** I do get out.

She nodded. "How do we get through these bars?"

He smiled like the Cheshire cat, and then pulling her to him, he kissed her cheek. "That's what I thought." He mumbled. 'God, how did I get so lucky?' he thought as he drew the thin wire from his collar. It was time to make a few sparks.

 _Because even when I was flat broke  
You made me feel like a million bucks  
You do and I was made for you_

Fritz the Cat had just left Amanda's house, leaving Lee to review the blueprints for the Russian Embassy. It was a long shot, but the only shot he had. Amanda made it worth the fight. It couldn't end now, just when they found out what they had in each other. If he was going down, he was going down with a fight.

Lee distantly heard her come into the den, but when she'd stopped at the bottom of the stairs, he looked up to find her reading something. He immediately put down the blueprints he was reviewing and walked over to her. He grew more worried when she continued reading with a furrowed brow. "Amanda, what is it?"

"It's from IFF, a messenger just brought it." She handed him the folded insurance policy and squeezed her eyes shut and sighed.

He let out a puff of air in disbelief. "They work fast. I asked Billy to handle this for me last night." He turned away from her to gather his thoughts. When he turned back toward her, she was unwilling to look him in the eyes. "Amanda, I've never had a beneficiary for the Agency life insurance policy and . . . I wanted you and your boys to be taken care of. You know just . . . just in case." He sat down on the couch and reopened the policy distractedly.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked. That hadn't been what he'd expected her to say. But then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. When he needed her to be strong, she was always there for him, pushing him forward.

He glanced to his 'dead man's' watch. "Billy's here at six."

She practically fell into his arms and pulled him to her, whispering, "I want more time."

He took a few moments to simply hold her. Not really knowing if this would be the last time he'd be given the opportunity. He memorized the feel of her slight frame held to his, the smell of her perfume, just everything that was . . . his Amanda. His lips found hers of their own volition. Never had their kisses been quite so tender, so longing. If he knew for certain that the blasted bacteria in his system wouldn't hurt her, he'd carry her up the stairs in a second and make love to her one last time. Just in case he didn't succeed in his mission tonight.

Her kisses became more insistent. Lee pulled back. "Amanda, we can't."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we can, Lee. And we have." She growled seductively.

"No, I mean, we shouldn't. I can't risk you contracting this bacteria in my system." He sighed as he kissed her forehead. "As much as I want to take you up those stairs and make love to you, I . . . we can't."

He watched her bite her lip in defeat. Lee then pulled her into his lap, just needing to hold her until the very last second.

 _You see the smile that's on my mouth  
It's hiding the words that don't come out  
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed  
They don't know my head is a mess  
No, they don't know who I really am  
And they don't know what I've been through like you do  
And I was made for you..._

Lee's heart was beating fast as they approached the Agency's van that had just pulled up. Francine jumped out and ran toward them to assist in getting Billy aboard. "Come on! McJohn and the Medivac are on their way!" She yelled to them.

He and Amanda were each supporting Billy as they rushed quickly to get in the van. Once they were in, he helped Amanda heave Billy over to a chair to wait for the medical team to arrive. From the sound of screeching tires, Lee knew they were moments behind them.

A few seconds later, he was relieved to see Dr. McJohn coming up the steps of the van. "Come on, Doc!" he shouted impatiently as he shoved his coat up, exposing his left arm. Amanda held his gloved-hand to keep it in place, while Dr. McJohn wiped Lee's upper arm with an alcohol pad, before jabbing the needle into Lee's arm. He grimaced and saw Amanda do the same.

Before the good doctor could even pull the syringe from his arm, Amanda was in his arms and he inadvertently whispered, "Hold me!" To his relief, Francine and Dr. McJohn were too busy tending to Billy's gunshot wound to pay much attention to the two of them. Lee took advantage of that fact and kissed her temple before snuggling back into her arms. He'd never been so relieved in all his life. To think he had come to within seconds of being poisoned by cyanide. Snuffing out the life he had just started to feel completely comfortable in, taking him from the only woman he truly ever loved. He was brought out of his musings when he heard Billy call out to them.

"Okay, people let's get out of here before all hell breaks loose."

 _All of these lines across my face  
Tell you the story of who I am  
So many stories of where I've been  
And how I got to where I am  
But these stories don't mean anything  
When you've got no one to tell them to  
_

After several hours at the Agency finishing up their debriefing, Lee and Amanda were finally dropped off in front of her house. They both sighed at the top of the stairs as they looked down into the mess they'd left in the living room.

"Oh!" Amanda cringed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Lee too crossed his arms. "Looks just like we left it!"

"A hundred years ago." Amanda smiled up at him.

"Yeah. Come on, I'll help you clean it up." He said as he came down the stairs, all the while taking off his coat.

"Oh!" She said as she followed suit.

"Good practice for the real thing."

"Well, I'm a firm believer in practice."

"Me too!" They both held their coats in their hands for a brief second before throwing them down onto the floor in a heap and plopping down on the couch. Amanda's legs were quickly draped over Lee's lap as they snuggled up together.

"Haven't we played this scene before?" Amanda's voice was husky with sensual tension.

"Yeah, but then the doorbell rang, remember?"

"No."

"Wha—"

"I tend to block out bad timing," she continued.

"Oh, see if this helps." Lee whispered before planting a soft kiss upon her lips. When she moaned, he smiled inwardly. He pulled back from her mouth. "How was that?"

"It helps!" She nodded seriously, her lips twitching.

"Oh?" Lee eyed her suspiciously before murmuring, "How about some more?" He didn't wait for an answer before he once again plundered her mouth.

They pulled each other closer and continued kissing until they heard car doors slam in the driveway. The two of them jumped apart as if cold water had been dumped on them. Amanda looked at him in astonishment, as if she wasn't quite sure if she heard what she heard. "They're home early!"

"And I'm gone!" Lee attempted to extricate himself from the couch, but was stopped by Amanda. "Aaaaah!"

"Noooo! No! No! No! No!" She pressed her hand against his shoulder to keep him from fleeing. "NO! We need practice in this too."

"I guess so," he acknowledged.

"Come on." She straightened her clothes and they both sat up straighter as if they were about to face the firing squad.

"Ready?" She gave him a sidelong glance.

"Ready." He nodded.

"Amanda? We're home Darling!" Dotty's voice could be heard coming from the front door.

They both turned and smiled to welcome the family home.

"Oh, I didn't know you had company, Darling." She came into the room and absently bent down to kiss her daughter on the cheek. "Hello, Lee. It's lovely to see you." She cooed.

Lee stood at attention. "Hello, Mrs. West. It's nice to see you as well."

Just then, the boys ran in from outside and dropped their bags at the top of the stairs. "Mom! Hi, Lee!" Both boys yelled out.

"Hi, guys!" Lee laughed at their excitement.

Amanda automatically dropped to the floor on her knees to hug both boys simultaneously. "Fellas! I missed you! Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was great, until wormbrain here tried to start Aunt Lillian on fire!"

"I did not! Mom, my marshmallow caught on fire and I tried to blow it out and then the fire jumped to Aunt Lillian. It just burned a tiny hole in her jacket. She said she wasn't mad."

"Phillip, don't call your brother names. Jamie, I'm sure Aunt Lillian knew it was an accident and wasn't upset."

Lee's head was spinning from all the banter going back and forth. This family certainly had it's own cadence; he only hoped he'd be able to find a place in it.

 _It's true... I was made for you_

 _Oh yeah, well it's true... that  
I was made for you..._

Several hours later, having finished dinner and getting the boys to settle down enough to go to bed, Lee and Amanda were now snuggled on the couch, each with a glass of red wine.

Lee was wedged comfortably in the corner of the couch; his feet perched up on the coffee table. His left hand was absently running up and down Amanda's hip. He leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"What was that for?" She asked innocently looking up from his lap.

He gazed down into her eyes and smiled. "For having my back . . . again."

"Always, Sweetheart." She smiled and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

Lee caught a glimpse of his watch and whispered, "I should probably let you get some sleep." Before he could start to move off the couch, he felt his hand being tugged.

"No, not yet. I'm not ready to let you go. Tell me another one of your stories."

He chuckled. "Okay, did I ever tell you about the time when I was 17 and I was nearly court marshaled for impersonating an officer?" When she shook her head no, he continued, "See there was this general's daughter . . . "

She shook her head and giggled. "Of course there was." As she sat up straighter to hear the rest of the story, he could see the twinkle back in her eyes.

'Yeah, it was definitely nice to finally have someone to tell his stories to.'

The End


End file.
